Wednesday, August 30, 2017

The homegrown tomatoes are ripening on the vine, locavore veggies are abundant, Private Selection center cut is excellent bacon, so it's BLT time! I've already posted last year's BLT/birthday blowout, so this year we have a variation. With a smaller group over the weekend, I introduced my new Homo Hoagie... Now don't get your panties in a twist, cool your PC trigger words, and get a little sense of humor on. This is a tribute to the LGBT, now LGBTQ (and maybe more, I'll let the millennials deal with it), not a denigration. It's just the letters inspired me... Lettuce, Guacamole, Bacon, Tomato, and...thank you partner...Quecumber! This sounded like a great sandwich to me, so I thought I'd try it out.

First, I marinated cucumber slices in lime juice, chili powder, and a shot of tequila...

Because the liquid in the cukes and toms would make the hoagie bun soggy, I drained them on paper towels...

Then I spread mayo on half the bun, and any favorite quac on the other half...

Then I added the lettuce (romaine hearts), tomato, and cukes to the bun...

And the bacon (from the baconator... but that's another story)...

The final homo hoagie... oozing with delight!

And the racist, bigoted, insensitive inventor consuming his product...

So I see a fortune to be made, but I'll obviously need a gay entrepreneur to introduce this to the appropriate populations. I just want some royalties... and I'll contribute half to LGBTQ+ causes.

Monday, August 28, 2017

We decided to take two days to return home. The route was undecided until the morning of departure. I kinda wanted to drive through Estes Park, but the thought of a million campers, etc., clogging the road had me anxious. So we chose to drive old Route 40 over the mountains and drop down into Steamboat Springs for the night.

The morning gave us perfect weather for a convertible drive through the mountains and up across Bethoud Pass, and point of the continental divide (click the Wikipedia link for more info on this). And the obligatory pics...

This was a really nice drive, not too much traffic, and we passed through several ski towns and a couple western towns. Over the mountains, down through the valleys, and up over Rabbit Ears Pass until the long descent into Steamboat Springs. Once we arrived in Steamboat, we had plenty of time to explore downtown and spend way too much money at the infamous FM Light. I've always loved Steamboat Springs since the days of the classic sports car races. Steamboat has always seemed to survive development a little better than other ski town/resort areas. A pic from a bridge over the Yampa...

The next day was a bit of a slog... the desolation of western Colorado, a quick tour of Dinosaur National Park (deserving of much more time and exploration), then lots of traffic from Vernal to SLC. But all in all, a fun trip. Good to see Denver again after a long absence. Rare do I get there since the passing of my mother and my good friends. But then they do have dispensaries...

I wanted to visit Denver because I had a friend whose company had Rockies tickets. My Braves were in town, so a good time to prevail upon him for the seats (thanks, Scott!). To get someone special to accompany me, I had to bribe her with a room at the Brown Palace Hotel, a classic "grande dame" in continuous operation since the late 1890's.

The only problem with this fabulous hotel was the 2-night $1000 price tag! $47/night parking? Well, the dining was great, the room nice (but small), the service excellent... a great experience, at least once. Next time we stay at the interconnected Holiday Inn Express across the street... free parking, free breakfast, and half the nightly cost! Just walk over to the Palace for the enjoyment.

The Coors Field tickets turned out 10 rows back of the Braves dugout. I was right there with my favorite players! Here's Freddie Freeman at the plate, and a wave from Kelsey, part of the Braves announcing staff.

The next night we dined at Lo Stella, a small but highly recommended Italian restaurant. A very excellent meal at a reasonable price... and the tiramisu was out of this world! A pic of the restaurant and an interesting house next door.

One perk of the Brown Palace, personal "limo" service to and from the restaurant. Gotta get something for that price tag!

If you can take your time, split a Denver drive into two parts. We stayed in Grand Junction after a reasonable journey, and the extra time allowed us to explore the 30 mile side trip to the Colorado National Monument. Head off the freeway at Fruita, drive the park, and get dumped right into Grand Junction. Some pics from the park (love that Golden Eagle pass!).

This park is a little jewel. Easy to get to and not many people. A fabulous diversion! And a nice cruise in the convertible!